Friday, March 11, 2016

Jim Reeves

When you think about monuments to Texas music legends, the Stevie Ray Vaughan statue or the Willie Nelson statue, both in Austin, might first spring to mind. But let me introduce you to another Lone Star performer whose memorial is worth a stop on your next east Texas road trip:

Jim Reeves started his career as a minor league baseball player but an injury led to his pursuit of fortune and fame in the music industry. And it worked. So much so that his hometown of Carthage, TX (also the former home to country music legend Tex Ritter) has created an impressive memorial to his memory:

The marker reads:

"Born in Galloway, James
Travis Reeves played professional baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals'
minor league team until an injury forced him to abandon that career. He
became a radio disc jockey and formed a country western band. Joining
the Grand Ole Opry in 1955, he became a world famous singer. Known
fondly as Gentleman Jim, Reeves was inducted into the Country Music Hall
of Fame in 1967, three years after he died in a plane crash."

Check it out the next time you are in the area. If you aren't familiar with Reeves' work then sit back and enjoy his effortless performance of "I Love You Because" on a Norwegian TV show in 1964:

Search This Blog

About Me

Explorer Multimedia Inc., a non-profit 501 (c)(3) corporation, is dedicated to the production of science educational multimedia content and television programming, particularly in the realm of the earth sciences, including geology, geophysics, meteorology, geography, archaeology, and related fields of study.
EMI seeks to relate these academic studies to the lives of everyday viewers, and show how these topics effect our lifestyles and our environments.